Thyroid vascularity is increased in patients with active acromegaly

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Medical Imaging
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Acromegaly, a condition caused by excess growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), can affect various organs, including the thyroid.
• Thyroidal vascularity and blood flow changes in acromegaly have not been extensively studied using advanced imaging techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether patients with acromegaly exhibit increased thyroidal vascularity and blood flow.
• To assess the utility of colour flow Doppler sonography (CFDS) in evaluating thyroid status in acromegaly.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 24 acromegalic patients (categorized by disease activity and treatment), 38 patients with non-toxic goitre (NTG), and 36 healthy controls.
• Colour flow Doppler sonography (CFDS) was used to assess thyroidal vascularity patterns and measure intrathyroidal peak systolic velocity (PSV).
• Serum GH, IGF-I, thyroid function tests, and autoantibodies were measured.

Main Results:

• Active acromegalic patients (Acro-U) demonstrated significantly increased intrathyroidal PSV (7.4 cm/s) compared to controls (3.8 cm/s) and NTG patients (4.0 cm/s).
• Patients treated with somatostatin analogues (Acro-SA) showed intermediate PSV values (4.9 cm/s), while those in remission (Acro-R) had PSV values similar to controls (4.5 cm/s).
• Intrathyroidal PSV correlated positively with serum IGF-I (r=0.73) and GH levels (r=0.54).

Conclusions:

• Active acromegaly is associated with increased thyroidal blood flow, detectable by CFDS and PSV measurements.
• CFDS and PSV may serve as valuable peripheral indicators for assessing acromegaly activity.
• These Doppler parameters can help differentiate active disease from remission or treatment response.